Pregnancy / 25 July, 2019 / My Baba

Common Sleep Problems & Advice on How to Sleep Well During Pregnancy

Trying to get a decent night’s sleep during the third trimester can be tough. According to a 1998 poll by the National Sleep Foundation 78% of women report more disturbed sleep during pregnancy than at other times.

Common sleep problems include:

• Insomnia – you may find it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep or you might wake up too early feeling tired. Insomnia can be a result of stress or anxiety about labour, delivery and/or balancing work and motherhood. Nausea, back pain and fetal movements can also disturb sleep.
• Restless legs syndrome (RLS) – worse at night or later on in the day, this uncomfortable feeling in the legs can be a real distraction, but relief can be found albeit temporarily by movement or stretching.
• Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux (nighttime GERD) – the dreaded heartburn is considered a normal part of pregnancy. Severe GERD can damage the oesophagus and disrupt sleep during pregnancy.
• Frequent nighttime urination – you will find you’re up and down to the toilet frequently in the night.

Can I sleep on my back during pregnancy?

There are also guidelines to safe sleeping during pregnancy to take on board. Tommy’s research reveals that sleeping on your back after 28 weeks of pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirth. While they reassure mums to not be too anxious about it (risk of stillbirth is low at 1 in 200), it’s best to get into the habit of going to sleep on your side.

How to improve your night’s sleep

Sleep expert and osteopath Dr Rick Hussein recommends side-lying on a medium-firm mattress with a medium-firm pillow. To support the neck and avoid the shoulder shrugging up, your pillow should be dense but malleable, so you can tuck it down into the neck to the top of the shoulder. A quality, well-positioned pillow should support the head and the whole of the neck.

The one-size-fits-all Kally Pillow is not just maternity specific, it’s an investment that can be used beyond pregnancy by men, women and children over seven years old to improve health and quality of sleep in general.

Other tips for a peaceful night’s sleep

• Get yourself to bed at a similar time to establish a regular routine
• Create a peaceful environment in your bedroom- avoid using electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets or laptops to name a few. The artificial light has been found to affect sleep inducing hormones, which impacts on how quickly you fall asleep. You can also try to make your bedroom as dark as possible by using blackout blinds or wearing an eye mask to help block out the light during the lighter evenings and mornings
• Make sure the temperature in your bedroom is between 15-19 degrees – the optimum for a good night’s sleep
• If you find yourself still awake – get up and distract yourself for a few minutes, reset, and start again

To invest in your very own Kally pillow, click here.